I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a mold for forming objects, and more particularly to a mold adaptable to a platen press for forming plastic objects from recycled thermoplastic chips.
II. Background of the Invention
Plastic materials are widely used throughout the industry to form a variety of products. Some of the desirable features of plastic include its durability, strength, ease of manufacture, relative low cost, and that it is water impermeable. The uses of plastic are almost limitless, finding uses in toys, containers, tools, and even automobiles and engine components. However, plastic is not biodegradable and has a decay rate of well over 100 years, depending on the particular type of plastic material.
Landfills are filling up at an alarming rate. Community and state efforts have been undertaken to reduce the amount of waste being deposited in landfills to conserve landfill space. Recycling programs are now instituted in most communities throughout the country. By recycling plastic materials, the amount of landfill space needed for waste is reduced. Further, natural resources are conserved by reusing previously manufactured plastic materials. Recycling has a further advantage of reducing the amount of energy required to produce new products. Thus, communities will continue to implement recycling programs.
One limitation of recycling plastic materials is that not all previously manufactured plastic materials are suitable for all recycled products. For instance, recycled plastic milk jugs can only be recycled to form certain plastic objects. Most plastic items have a recyclable plastic code defined thereon identifying the particular type of plastic used to facilitate sorting plastic items of like plastic material. Milk jugs, for instance, typically are labeled with the code "2". Generally speaking, most plastic materials which are classified as thermoplastic materials, in contrast to thermoset plastic, can be recycled.